Owing to their advantages such as low loss, high process tolerance, manufacturing process compatible with CMOS processes and good mode field matching with single-mode optical fiber, silica-based planar light-wave circuits (PLC) have been widely used in optical communication, optical interconnections and integrated optics. In this paper, the recent progresses of the silica-based PLC devices and their applications are reviewed. Silica-based PLC devices including beam splitters, array waveguide gratings, variable optical attenuator and their integration devices are described, and future development trends are proposed.